Chapter 8: Bloody Battle at Hanxiu Peak (Part 1)
The winding rock gardens were originally intended for scenic leisure, but the gardens of the Celestial Family still incorporated elements of a Formation. While they wouldn't kill an enemy, it was common to get lost and go in circles if one took the wrong path.
Bai Zichen and Bai Pangzi arrived near Hanxiu Peak smoothly, without rushing out. They only revealed themselves after observing that everything on the main peak was normal and that Bai Family were hurrying there.
If the bandits had thought of capturing the leader first and charged directly towards Hanxiu Peak, they would have walked into a trap.
Hanxiu Peak had clearly received the news and entered the highest state of alert. Guards strictly checked everyone before allowing them entry. The protective Formation had already been activated, with four-colored Spirit Light flashing, enveloping the entire peak.
At this point, Bai Zichen finally let out a sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground, soaked and exhausted.
The effect of the Shen Xing (Divine Travel) Talisman disappeared, and he felt completely overdrawn, with a deep, powerless ache in his bones.
“Mother! My mother is still at Qingfeng Cliff, I need to go to Qingfeng Cliff!” Bai Pangzi, upon falling, seemed to regain his senses and, with red eyes, tried to rush out.
“If you want to die, go ahead, I’ll only stop you once. But think carefully, do you want Song Yi to sacrifice herself in vain, or will you Cultivate diligently in the future to avenge her?”
Bai Zichen tripped Bai Pangzi with his foot, speaking coldly to him, then sat down to recover. The Magical Power of Qi Refining Stage Layer One was better than nothing; at least, he could escape faster than a Mortal.
Bai Pangzi, rebuked by him, no longer acted as if he wanted to die. He sat on the ground, sobbing silently.
Gradually, more and more Bai Family gathered on Hanxiu Peak. Some came after hearing the news, others, like Bai Zichen, had been pursued by bandits and narrowly escaped here. Their numbers had exceeded seventy, accompanied by three to four hundred Mortals.
The main peak itself had Mortal servants, and many from the various peaks under the Bai Family had also fled to Hanxiu Peak.
Another group of Bai Family members rushed over in a panic. Just as they were about a hundred feet from Hanxiu Peak, and showed expressions of joy at escaping danger, a black light swept from behind them, cutting down the group like weeds. They lay on the ground, wailing incessantly.
“How dare you! How dare you kill my Bai Family!”
With an angry shout, a green sword light pierced out, intertwining with the black light, but after only three to five swords, it fell into a disadvantage and retreated in a sorry state back into the Formation.
Bai Shoushun retreated several steps, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. His beard turned red, and his face was ashen, but after a while, it regained its healthy color.
“Grand Elder, are you alright?”
“Not dead yet!”
The Grand Elder pushed away two Bai Family who tried to help him, pulled out a jade bottle, and poured out a snow-white Medicinal Pill, swallowing it. “Tell the second brother to activate all four elephant of the Formation, don’t be stingy with Spirit Stone. Bring out that box of Mid-Grade Spirit Stone hidden in the treasury!”
“Fourth brother, lead people to guard several intersections, and tell someone to bring out all the Talisman stored. Also, the Ironwood Crossbows in the treasury, arm the Mortal children with them. If the Formation is truly broken, I will make the Demonic Path brats of Ghost Spirit Sect pay a bloody price!”
The Grand Elder issued commands one by one, having already prepared for the worst.
The situation today was the most dangerous the Bai Family had faced in hundreds of years since its establishment. The high-end combat power within the Bai Family was not at home, and they were trapped on Hanxiu Peak.
Moreover, the opponents were not ordinary bandits; they were clearly the Ghost Spirit Sect, a major Demonic Path Sect of similar strength to the Qingfeng Sect, located a county away.
The Ghost Spirit Sect, for unknown reasons, risked triggering a war between the two Sects and secretly dispatched Disciples to infiltrate the Black Mountain Mountain Range, launching a lightning-fast assault.
Of course, the Grand Elder would not think that a mere Bai Family was worth the Ghost Spirit Sect’s special attack. He could be certain that other Celestial Families were also under attack, and the elites of the entire Black Mountain Mountain Range had been lured away by the temptation of the Five Peaks True Person’s Immortal Cave, making it the most vulnerable time.
“But if you want to attack Black Mountain County, you should attack the Qingfeng Sect first. What good does destroying our Celestial Families do?!” The Grand Elder pondered, unable to understand, while healing his injuries.
He could only attribute it to Demonic Path Sects, whose actions were erratic and unpredictable, often based on their own preferences. It was not impossible for them to want to annihilate several Celestial Families to display their evil reputation.
And the person who had just fought him, injuring him severely in three moves despite his reliance on the Formation and its continuous supply of Magical Power, could only be a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.
One must know that even though the Grand Elder had no hope of Foundation Establishment, his Qi Refining Stage Perfection Cultivation, abundant Magical Power, and the aid of his Flying Sword allowed him to easily defeat ordinary Qi Refining Stage Late Stage Cultivators in a single encounter.
By this time, all the masked black-clad Cultivators had revealed themselves, totaling over thirty people.
In terms of numbers, they were far fewer than the Bai Family, but their average Cultivation was far superior. More importantly, the Grand Elder immediately perceived two formidable enemies that he could not deal with.
“Two Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators… the Ghost Spirit Sect truly thinks highly of my Bai Family.”
The Grand Elder felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but it quickly turned into resolve. He ordered and dispatched the Bai Family members around him one by one, placing his long sword across his lap.
“The Bai Family Legacy will never be broken in my generation!”
Bai Zichen and the Mortal Bai Family were formed into a team, each handed an Ironwood Crossbow. A small acceleration Formation was drawn on the crossbow body. Around them were piled boxes of refined steel crossbow bolts, each arrowhead engraved with a penetration rune, scattered on the ground as if they were worthless.
These specially processed Ironwood Crossbows and bolts, when used by multiple people in a coordinated, segmented firing, posed a significant threat even to Qi Refining Stage Middle Stage Cultivators.
However, Qi Refining Stage Late Stage Cultivators were not very afraid. Their higher Cultivation and abundant Magical Power allowed them to easily deflect crossbow bolts with a casual wave, and they generally had defensive Magical Artifacts. No matter how much the crossbow bolts were processed, they were still Mortal weapons, not of any rank, and no matter how many there were, they could not break through defensive Magical Artifacts.
Bai Zichen stood on a high platform. In the distance, thick smoke billowed everywhere. Beside him were a group of trembling Mortal Bai Family—even after training, the innate fear of Cultivators was difficult to eliminate.
And those Cultivator Bai Family were not much better. Many Bai Family who had no combat experience were terrified, their steps retreating further and further.
This seemingly safe and prosperous clan territory, like a soap bubble, was burst by these bandits with a single poke.
The famous Celestial Families recorded in the county annals, which often rose and fell over hundreds of years, their Legacies cut off, their descendants wiped out, perhaps encountered the scene of today.
The group of bandits gathered, driving Formation Flags into the ground one by one, then quickly dispersed into a peculiar Formation. In an instant, the sky over Hanxiu Peak darkened.
“Why is it suddenly so cold!”
A flower farmer beside Bai Zichen shivered. As the sky darkened, the temperature in the air noticeably dropped a lot.
Waves of chilling cries came, and specks of phosphorescent fire floated out. At the positions where the bandits had set up Formation Flags below Hanxiu Peak, hideous ghost heads appeared one by one, charging towards the mountain-protecting Formation.
A hundred ghosts cried, phosphorescent fires flickered, and the scene was eerily green and desolate, as if one had instantly entered the underworld.
“Not good, it’s the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade!” The Grand Elder’s expression changed, clearly recognizing the opponent’s technique. “Second brother, activate the Four Symbols transformation, raise the Vermilion Bird!”